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They save the best for last. The biggest Ice Fest in the Northeast was incredible this year. My only regret was that there was not enough time to do all I wanted, and not enough time to be with my friends.

I left home with 10 gallons of soup and two Helicopters. I returned with no soup and two intact helicopters ;-). Soup is not a hard sell when it is 10 degrees and I had a great time at Cathedral Ledge Sunday dishing up hot soup to cold and tired climbers. The weather was not the best for flying and my time was tight but I did manage to get some good footage of the valley and Whitehorse Ledge.

Sarah Hueniken, Jonathan Griffith and Miron Chlebosz gave great presentation to a full house. Miron gave us a look at the incredible Tatras Mountains in Poland and Jon had the audience in stitches and kept it moving with spectacular images! Jon is also into Drones and we had a great time talking as we watched Peter work “Black Magic” at Cathedral Ledge.

Ice fests are like a family reunion to me and I am sad that this was the last one of the season. I am already looking forward to next year.

Many thanks to Rick & Celia Wilcox, Brad White, IME, IMCS guides, Guest guides, the Ice Fest Planning Team and all the people that make the MWV Ice Fest happen. Thank You!

And a special thank you to Courtney Ley for her help at the Ice Fest and all she does for NEice.

Enjoy the photos and videos below.

~Doug Millen

Some Great Climbing

A Few Ice Fest Photos

Photos by Krissy Noel Carey

Valley and Ledges by Ardu

Mt Washington Valley / Whitehorse Ledge, North Conway NH

I managed to get some free time between Ice Fest duties and meetings to do a little flying. I had never flown at Whitehorse Ledge so I meet up with Scott Barber (scottbarberfilm.com} Saturday morning to show Scott my machines and test some new settings. Scott is just getting in flying and we had a lot of fun. I was able to catch some good footage of the Valley and the Ledge on my test flights Saturday, and while heating the Soup up that afternoon. I wish the weather was better on Sunday when I had more time, but single digits, wind and snow grounded the fleet.

Flight by Ardu, flying, filming and editing by Doug Millen

Black Magic

Cathedral Ledge, North Conway NH

Peter Doucette working out the moves on Black Magic (M9) during the MWV Ice Fest 2015. Peter sent it clean on Tuesday, ground up placing gear the whole way. Nice work Peter!

Photos by Doug Millen

Apres fun at IME

MWV Ice Fest Recap & Thank You’s!

“The 2015 Mount Washington Ice Fest was hands down our best ever, but it only happened with many helping hands, talent, and passion! Wow, we are still coming down from an awesome high, we had a blast this year!”

The Ice of Agawa Canyon (Eastern Shore of Lake Superior)

by Shaun Parent

My first trip into Agawa Canyon was some 25 years ago on December 27, 1986 when Chris Lloyd and I ventured into the area for a week long adventure of exploring and developing ice climbs.

Things have changed plenty since the mid 1980’s when ice climbing was just beginning in the Canyon. Orient Bay to the north was known and climbers from the Midwest were flocking there on weekends due to the number of easily accessible routes. Here in Agawa Canyon, unlike Orient Bay, after 25 years the Canyon sees less than 50 visitors a season, and most of them head in during the annual Agawa Canyon Ice Festival. This March 2011 celebrates the 13th anniversary of the occasion.

The canyon is a 6 mile long north-south corridor between Miles 110 and 116 on the Algoma Central Railway which connects Sault Ste. Marie Ontario with Hearst Ontario at the end of the line at Mile 296. The line is used for hauling freight, but also has a passenger train service.

The Canyon hosts over 135 ice climbs and each year between mid-December and mid-April ice formations hang off the 200 meter walls which cloak the east and west sides of the canyon……..Read the rest of the report

February 4th-6th, 2011

North Conway, NH

The Mount Washington Valley Ice Festival, aka Ice Fest, was started 18 years ago by local climbing legend Rick Wilcox. One of the premier climbing events in the country, Ice Fest brings together climbers of all abilities to celebrate the adventure, the fun, and the comradery of ice climbing.

Friday evening Film Fest: The evening includes the Outdoor Research Film Fest with films that include Matt McCormick, Rufus J Lusk, Granite Films, Ueli Steck , Rob Frost , and Steve House !

“Granite Films documented Steve House soloing Repentance last year! This piece will make you squirm and your hands sweat.”

Openings for clinics are still available. Sign up before they are filled!

Bozeman, MT – World-renowned ice climber Guy Lacelle has died from injuries received when a small avalanche, triggered by a party above him, swept him over an ice climb in Hyalite Canyon where he was participating in the Bozeman Ice Festival. The loss of Lacelle is felt by many throughout the sport of ice climbing.

Lacelle attended Festiglace at Pont Rouge, Quebec, here in the Northeast for a number of years where he taught more than one eastern climber in the sport and inspired many with his solid climbing in competitions and confident free-solos. He will be sorely missed by all of us at NEice.